Mongrel Verse: Wildlife

This is one more bit of Mongrel Verse, inspired by the rather brilliant Esther Newton.

This one is on the theme of wildlife. It took me some time to do, and I cannot say that I am entirely happy with it. Before I start getting grand ideas about what to do with it, I shall improve it. However, here it is, in it’s current, unpolished form!

Wildlife

I like the tiger, I like his claw,
I like his tooth, and I like is maw.
We smash his bones,
With big, pretty stones
Then chant a spell, and make a powder
Just to give my sex much more power.

In the waters, by light and dark,
Swim the fishes and the sharks.
The fins are cut, just for the soup
Their bodies, in pain, then start to droop.
Our hunger, our desire, continue to grow.
It’s important for many to brag and show.

Creatures with feathers taste very nice
We breed them and feed them, with a bit o ‘spice.
With hormones injected, they grow very juicy
Cooped in their cages, their lives are not easy
The technology to breed, has spread far and wide
Our feathered friends have nowhere to hide.

But wildlife, my friends, can bring us much joy
To enjoy Nature’s laws, we must not be coy.
The world is a big place, with room for us all,
A calm mind will help us to hear Nature’s call.
They feed us, they nourish us, they give off their soul,
Wildlife is more than just meat in a bowl.

To look at them move, is a sight that can thrill
A world without them, would give me a chill
To not hear bird chirp, or tigers roar,
Think of that world – it’s extremely poor.
But we can save our wildlife, starting with one,
And one more, and one more, let’s bring them some sun.

Our children will thank us for thinking of them;
For saving this treasure, and sharing with them.
The joys of the birds, the bees and the fish
The sounds and the smells; the colours, the hiss.
The time is now, there’s no moment to lose,
Our legacy, our world, it’s ours to choose.

In both poems there is a love and respect for the creation of the natural world. In Blake’s poem he ascribes it to some immortal soul. In your poem there is the same respect but also a call to caution that we may lose these creations by our foolish ways.
Leslie